THE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN NATIVE HAWAIIAN LAW
RECEIVES ADDITIONAL FUNDING BUT CONTINUES FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

by
D. Kapua Sproat, Visiting Assistant Professor

 

Hulō! Hulō! The Center recently was awarded a $1.2 million Native Hawaiian Education Act (“NHEA”) grant to support education and legal scholarship, community outreach, and the preservation of invaluable historical, legal, and other materials. The grant will enable the Center to offer specialized courses and provide financial, academic, and educational support to Native Hawaiian and other students interested in working on issues of significance to the Native Hawaiian community.

More specifically, funding will be used to: (1) advance legal scholarship on issues of importance to Native Hawaiians; (2) prepare students with the knowledge and tools to advance the legal rights of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific and Indigenous people; (3) educate Native Hawaiians and others on Native Hawaiian rights and issues; (4) provide general support services to Native Hawaiian communities, particularly rural, Neighbor Island communities; (5) inspire and empower Native Hawaiian high school and college students to pursue legal careers; (6) host workshops and conferences on Indigenous and Pacific Island issues; and (7) maximize community access to unique Hawaiian historical and legal materials.

Mahalo to Senator Daniel K. Inouye and the enitre Hawai‘i congressional delegation for their continued support of education, especially with regard to Native Hawaiian law!

The Center also recently received $39,000 in funding from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation in support of its Kūkuluāholo Initiative. Kūkuluāholo means to build momentum, such as taking a stream from a trickle to full flow. It also connotes bringing an initiative to fruition.

Funding for the Kūkuluāholo Initiative will enable the Center to implement portions of its recently developed strategic plan. These efforts will focus on empowering leadership within the Center, broadening and institutionalizing our fundraising capabilities, and creating and maintaining effective operations to align our resource development strategy with our mission.

The Center’s first two years of operation focused on developing program offerings by increasing the quality and types of information and legal services available at the law school, which is provided in the form of courses, conferences, and scholarship. While these achievements are important, the Center’s recent strategic planning efforts revealed that significant capacity building – especially in the areas of fund development and communications – are necessary to ensure our long-term viability. As we begin our third year, and only the first year of fully-staffed operations, we believe that our next steps are critical to position the Center for long-term programmatic and financial success. Mahalo piha to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, and Pi‘ikea Miller for their support!

To help with these and other Center initiatives, please click on the following link: Make a donation. Your help will enable the Center to empower Native Hawaiian and other students to pursue and succeed in legal careers, and to engage in issues that impact the Hawaiian community. Your donations are tax deductible. Mahalo!